This past February I was invited to join MASH and drive a support vehicle for the team as they embarked, unofficially, on the Tour of California route on track bikes. Yes: fixed-gear, no brakes on the same climbs and descents as the pro peloton. If I wasn’t there to witness it for myself, I might not have believed it happened. These guys punished themselves every single day…sometimes ending a stage by streetlights…returning to economy hotel rooms without a massage or a catered dinner. Michael Martin, Gabe Morford and Will Meeker captured the entire trip brilliantly from the back of a…

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What an incredible finish to one of the more memorable trips of recent years. Today's charge up Palomar Mountain was no small feet. There was also more heckling on this stage than any other. As the MASH crew made their way up the flat section to the start of the climbs there were all kinds of unsolicited remarks like, "a track bike?! you'll never make it up Palomar" and "go get more gears!" Never before have I witnessed people get the chance to eat their words so quickly. Walton, the 18 year old on the trip was so strong on…

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The MASH crew gets started each day around two or three hours ahead of the peloton. Half of the days they've gotten caught and move to the side of the road...the other half they've crossed the finish line first and watched the pros come across just after them. While there haven't been many spectators around in the morning when we get started...on a few of the days there have been small crews of guys on track bikes hoping for an opportunity to meet the guys. It has been good to see these guys get recognition for what they're doing and…

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Eight seconds. That's all that separated Dave Zabriskie from stripping Levi Leipheimer of a third consecutive victory at the Solvang Time Trial. It was a true tour de force. All in all, the Garmin-Slipstream team is holding up extremely well. Today was a well deserved day of rest for the MASH crew. They got to sleep in and take it easy. They were able to catch up with the Slipstream guys at their team bus and share tales of the Tour thus far. Then, when the crowds were gone and the Tour production staff had already started to tear down…

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Today's stage was a relatively flat one up until the end where there were a couple of climbs and then a bunch of rolling hills. Had a desolate feeling to it. Got an early start and as a result the entire MASH squad made it to the finish in Paso Robles ahead of the peloton. Its always nice when things work out that way. That way the boys can all pull up on the side of the road, crack a beer (I mean, uh, rehydrate and stretch) and watch the pros finish their stage. I attempted to cross the road…

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Finally! Blue skies! I cannot tell you how much of a difference a sun-soaked course made for everyone. For the pros and certainly for MASH. Today's stage, climbs up from Merced into the Sierra Foothills along historic Highway 49. Its a grueling stage of two dramatic climbs with a handful of smaller climbs in between. An elevation gain of almost 4,000 feet. Had it been raining today...well...I can't even imagine it. Then again, had it been raining and 15 degrees cooler, it would have been snowing. For more of Matt's photos from the Tour, check out flickr.

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If the climbs on Stage 1 warranted me with leading out my blog with “insane”...then I don’t know how to start todays. Sierra Road is a wall. Walking up the thing is challenging enough, let alone riding a bike up it. You climb just under 2000 vertical feet in less than five miles. With a full gear ratio it’s enough to cause cardiac arrest. Yet every single one of the MASH guys grinded it out and made it to the top. Something that other cycling industry friends have since gotten wind of and called me to verify. Truly, truly, unbelievable.…

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Will the rain stop...please? We were seriously having a month of late Spring weather in January. All things in the forecast for next week look beautiful why is it that the one week that spans the Tour of California has to be subject to flooding? It poured last night. All night and into the morning. To the point where the sound of the rain kept me awake for much of the evening. We made our way towards the start of the race in Sausalito but were too close to the pros start time so we got stuck on the 101…

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Insane. That word seems fitting for today. Leading up to this trip, I didn’t question how strong the will was of the MASH crew, but I’ll be honest and say that I had a few doubts about how things might unfold. I’ve ridden sections of some of these stages and have had a challenging enough time with a full set of gears and the luxury of brakes. I wasn’t doubting their determination. Simply the physics. Watching these guys today from the comfort of the Clif Bar biodiesel Sprinter, any preconceived notions of impossibility were completely dismissed. This trip is for…

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Last week at the Clif Bar theater in Berkeley, two very different appreciations for the bike were introduced to one another. Two worlds collided and, over a brief few minutes, started to make sense to those who collectively made up the audience. We hosted the Garmin-Slipstream professional cycling team to give them a proper send-off as they made their way to Sacramento for the start of the Tour of California. We also took the opportunity to introduce the audience that was comprised mainly of traditional bike racing fans to the MASH crew who will be covering the same routes as…

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